Hinged door



Nov. 2o, 1923 T. SHIPLEY HINGED DOOR Filed Juge l. 1923 Strane/35 Patented Nov. 20, 1923.

HINGED DOOR.

Application led June 1,

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS SHIPLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at York, in the county of York and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain ne-w and useful Improvements in Hinged Doors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to `hinged doors and particularly to trap doors or hatch doors of the type in which a plurality of adjacent doors or door sections are hinged on substantially alined horizontal axes.

As a secondary feature, the invention involves a series of such doors arranged so that each overlaps another in the series so that the doors must be opened and closed serially, and when closed offer a relatively tight closure.

I have successfully applied the invention in the refrigerating art as a part of the heat insulating structure of can ice plants. In a plant of the pusher type, for example, the brine tank is covered by a deck. The cans are inserted and filled at one end of the brine tank in successive transverse rows, and are thereafter advanced step by step toward the opposite end of the tank beneath the aforesaid insulating deck. The door st-ructure about to be described is used to close the opening in the deck through which the cans are inserted.-

IVhile not limited in its utility thereto, the invention oifers particular advantages in plantsof this type because the opening is of considerable extent and because the doors are heat insulated and consequently quite heavy.

Such an embodiment of the inventionis illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view showing one door fully open and the second door partially open and ready to start the movement of the third door, which is closed;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 8 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

The deck which extends over the brine tank is indicated at 5 and the head wall which extends across the brine tank is indicated at 6. A transverse deck 7 extends across the head end of the brine tank at a level lower than the level of the deck 5. A sill 8 of somewhat greater height than i923. serial no. 642,798. l i

the thickness of the doors 9 extends along the margin of the deck 7.V A jamb or sill 10 is carried by the margin of the deck 5 to support the outer edges of the doors 9. The doors 9 are of any usual .heat in sulated construction and include generally a top sheathing 11V and a lower sheathing 12 both of wood spaced apart by a marginal frame 13 with the intervening space filled with cork or other insulation 14:. f The to-p sheathing 11is offset laterally so that along one edge of each door there is a projecting flange which lies in a corresponding recess in the adjacent edge ofthe `next door. Similarly, the sheathing 11` projects beyond the frame 13 at the edge of the door opposite the hinges (see Fig. 2) to produce aflange which seats on the jamb 10. Each door is mounted on two strap hinges 15 whose axis. is at the upper corner 'j of the sill 8 and so arranged that the doors 9 swing from a horizontal closed position, in which they rest on the tops of the sill 8 and jamb 10, to an open position in which their outer ends rest on a filler strip 16 provided to afford the necessaryclearance for. the hinge straps and their connecting bolts. Mounted on the under face of each door is an iron 17 which extends transversely of the door at a slightly oblique `angle and projects beyond the margin of the door at that side which hasthe flange-receiving recess above described. This iro-n might beV connected with the door in any suitable 'way but I prefer to connect ity by means of an eye bolt 18 which extends through the door and through the strap of one of the hinges 15 and an ordinary bolt-19 which passes through the iron 17 and the other one of the hinges 15. Y v

The projecting end of the iron 17 is formed with an eye 20, and a chain 21 connects the eye 20I of one door with the eye bolt 18 of thenext door.- Consequently, successive doors are connected by successive chains 21, the chains 21 serving as limit stops controlling the relative angular movement of successive doors.

The length of the chains 21 is such that asa door is swung from open toward closed position or from closed toward open position it will move slightly past its vertical position before the chain 21 tightens and ommences to entrain the next succeeding oor.

ioo

The el'ect of having the iron 17 project beyond the redge of its door is to `cause the j chain to draw in a straight line clear of the edges of the doors so that the doors are not chafed by the chains. i

The construction is such that the doors must be opened and closed in strict serial order. After the first door-'has been opened to the position at which its chain 2l, draws taut, the partially opened door asy it completes its opening movement entrains the next door and serves as a counterweiglit to assist its opening movement. In this way each successive door acts as a counterbalance` for the nextand the whole series of doors may be opened very rapidly and with mini-- Apass through'a position in which the effect of gravity is neutral. In the example illustrated this neutral position is an approximately vertical position. Hence, I do not limit myself to the specific arrangement kshown nor to the specific field of use suggested. .Howeven the very considerable weight of heat insulated doors and the large size of the hatchways in can ice plant-s makes the'structure a peculiarly desirable one in this eld.

What is claimed is:

-1. The combination of a plurality of doors hinged on Ysubstantially alined axes, to swing from a closed positionthrough. ap-

proximatelv 180 degrees to an open posi- Y tion; of limit, stop means engagingrbetween adj acentl doors and serving to cause the iinal opening movement ot one door to effect the j initial opening movement of thev next,

2. The combination of a plurality of doors i Vhinged on substantially alined horizontal axes to swing between open and closed positions onoppositesides of the verticalpositions of the doors, of limit stop means be-V tween adjacent doors wherebyv the final movement of one door in one direction effects the initial movement of an adjacent door in the same direction, the doors when moving simultaneously serving to vcounterbalance each other.'

3. The combination of a plurality of doors hinged on substantially alined horizontal axes-to swing between open and closed positions` on opposite sides of the vertical positions of the doors, and connecting chains extending from door to door and limiting their relative angular movement, whereby.

each door draws a succeeding door after it and one door serves to counterbalance another. L

4. rIhe combination of a seriesV ofldoors hinged on Vsubstantially alined vhorizontalaXes to swing between open and closed'positions on opposite sides of the vertical position, each door of the series having a p0rtiony which overlaps the next, Vwhereby serial movement of the doors is imposed;

and limit stop means acting between suc- .v

cessive doors of the seri-es,'whereby tlieinal Y motion of each successive door effects the simultaneous initial movemeiit oi another door later in the series.

In 4testimony whereof I have signed my name tothis specification.

'rnoisiiisV siiirLEY. 

